Apt. 11D

It's Girlie Friday!!!!

Alright, it's a girlie day, so let's talk clothes again. 

Last week, I picked up this shirt dress from the GAP. It's marked down way more in the store. With that sale price, plus a 30 percent coupon, plus the GAP credit card discount, I think I paid $20 for it. 

I'm a huge fan of pairing a tunic or a shorter dress with leggings. Leggings are the best way to keep wearing short skirts without horrifying the neighbors and small children. Hue's footless tights are not too thick. 

And then let's quickly talk about the printed pants trend. Gap's got 'em. So does H&M, J. Crew, the Banana, and just about every place. A few months ago, I got a pair from Uniqlo, but I don't think I would recommend them. The material was too cheap. 

So, what do you wear with tight, printed pants? What do you wear when you have something so girlie on  your ass? 

It's easy to go wrong. Wear those pants with heels and too much jewelry and you'll be all ready for Cougar Night at the Bicardi Grill in Paramus, New Jersey. I say if you're wearing flowers on your ass, then you have to butch it up everywhere else. Loose black shirt and clunky shoes. 

The Met Gala

What you didn't get your invitation to the Met Gala? What's wrong with you? 

I'm enjoying flipping through the slide show at New York magazine. I would totally wear Christina Ricci's dress. Love plaid. 

Uma looks pretty awesome, too. Kim Kardashian is dressed like her grandmother's sofa. 

And here's what everyone looks like the next day with a hangover. 

Check out all the great square shaped sunglasses on the hangovered stars. Ray-Bans. Glad that they are back in style, because that's the only shape that looks good on round faces like mine. 

Work Space

When I first started working at home, I missed the chit-chat in the hallways and lunch with colleagues in the cafeteria. I'm an extrovert. All that time at home by myself made me a little insane. My freelancer friends in New York City and Boston told me that they rented out desks in writers' offices. They said it helped keep them focused, and they met interesting people, while eating their lunches in the break room. 

I spent a few days trying to find a space like that here in the wilds of suburbia. There was nothing. There are a lot of freelance writers and other entrepreneurs out here. They camp out in the Barnes and Noble cafe and in Starbucks. So, I know they exist, but they haven't set up a writers' office. 

I played around with the idea of opening up my own freelance office. I picked out the building that I would rent out. I imagined how much I would charge patrons and how it would be the coolest office ever.

But then abandoned the idea. I didn't think it would fly out here for the same reasons that the restaurants suck out here. Even though we're just 30 minutes from downtown Manhattan, suburbia is suburbia and tastes change once you cross the bridge. People have enough room in their homes for office space and nobody would be willing to pay money for space, when there's plenty of free space in the library and the coffee house. 

Still, I'm very envious of people who work in these places. 

Girlie Friday

I could write about Oregon and health policy or about the new jobs report, but I'm not. (Or at least, not at this moment.) Because it's GIRLIE FRIDAY! Let's talk workout gear. 

Because I spend four or five hours in front of computer screen every morning, I need to hit the gym every day. It doesn't happen religiously every day, because I'm lazy, and life is busy. But it happens nearly every day. 

What am I wearing to the gym this afternoon? An Under Armour cotton t-shirt, ASICS sneakers, Nike Dri-Fit pants, and  Skullcandy INK'D Ear Buds.  

After the workout, I roam around town doing other chores. I like to cover up with a big loose yoga-style sweatshirt or a long sweater, not a tight runners sweatshirt. I like something like this or this or this. 

Nirvana and Docs

This article about the revival of the 90s fashions, make me think about Nirvana. I remember where I was and who I was dating when this album came out. He made me a tape of it. 

My rule for fashion is that if you wore it a decade ago, you're not allowed to wear it again, even if it is back in style. My exception might be Doc Martens. Love them. 

I have the original Dr. Martens in my closet. But I also like these floral Docs and the Mary Janes. Oooh, check out their Dr. Martens Women's Eleanor T-Bar Pump.

Suburban Stroll

Oil Paint Tiles + Ian

I've been playing with oil paint lately. 

My Style Icon of the Day

My style icon of the day is Geena Davis at the end of Thelma and Louise when they get all dirty and gritty. I'm wearing denim shirt, grey tank shirt, beat up jeans, and lots of bracelets. Maybe I'll find Brad Pitt at the Y, when I take Ian to his swim lessons later. 

Garden Delights

I guess I'm just going to continue Girlie Friday all weekend, because T Magazine's Design Issue is out and there is much to discuss. I'm super sad that they didn't post the article about the garden designs of Piet Oudolf. (Go to p.94 in the digitized version of the magazine.) 

Piet is the guy who designed the gardens at the High Line Park. (More pictures here.)

I need to hit that park in a few weeks and take some pictures to steal ideas. Last year was our first summer in the new house, so we spent that time killing things in our yard (over grown shubbery and English Ivy gone feral). We also needed a year to figure out the light. This year, we will get to plant stuff. 

Vintage Books

Check out Matthew Bruccoli's collection of "The Great Gatsby" books. Just love vintage books.  I framed a dozen of Postcards from Penguin: One Hundred Book Covers in One Box in IKEA frames and mounted them on a wall in my office.